The Knight
by xSummonerYunax
Summary: Zellphie. Selphie thinks about the life of a sorceress and wonders if there will ever be a knight out there for her.


A/N:Written for the Zellphie Rev. 8/8/08. Enjoy!

The Knight

The smell of fresh petals filled her nose as she descended further into the endless field of flowers, the color of them more vibrant than anything she had ever seen and the sight too mesmerizing for her to ever forget. It was like walking into another realm, a dream she could only hope to be a part of. Who knew that behind the remnants of their precious decaying orphanage was a garden far more impressive than Eden's. The place somehow felt sacred to her and it was an eerie sensation she couldn't quite describe. She felt like the very ground she was standing on was an omniscient plane, a place that existed in the very beginning of Time and will continue to thrive until the very end of Time. It was a place that knew more about her, her friends, and everyone on the Planet…but the ironic thing was that she didn't know anything about IT. Perhaps it was an enigma that wasn't meant to be understood by the people of the present, and she could only hope that the mysteries of this strange enigma would be discovered sometime in the future. Reaching out a lonely hand, she caught a petal between her fingers. It was a simple pink petal that felt like velvet beneath her touch. She clasped it tightly before letting the gentle breeze carry it away, and she watched until her little petal became intertwined with the others, forever lost in the flower storm that possessed the field.

From the corner of her eyes, she caught a glimpse of Edea walking into the orphanage. She assumed the sorceress was heading back to the shorelines to speak to her husband, Cid. A feeling of contentment filled her heart knowing that Cid's love for Edea could conquer any darkness that threatened Matron. When the last trace of Edea's dress tail disappeared from sight, she suddenly wondered if the strange sensitivity she received from the field was because it had been so closely connected with the sorceress? Maybe it was the power and the presences of the sorceress that made the field she was standing upon feel…different from anything she had ever experienced. She turned around and discovered a sight that served as evidence to her theory. Not too far from her, she saw Rinoa standing solemnly next to Squall. Her lips were moving but she couldn't hear what she was saying, but she knew it was a special moment between them.

Rinoa, her best friend was a sorceress and became someone the world feared. Selphie couldn't even imagine how that must feel, to go on living everyday knowing that there are people out there who hate and want to kill you. She knew that beneath Rinoa's frail façade, she was a strong woman, but she did fear the worse for her friend. But, she was certain about one thing: Rinoa's knight would never let her face the cruelty and inquisition that threatened to take her life away. Not only did they share the love between a man and a woman, but they also shared a bond between a sorceress and a knight, a bond that was tenfold stronger than any emotional connection any normal couple could ever understand and feel. She placed a hand against her heart. It was a truly touching sight to see the bonding actually happen in person, and she couldn't help but wonder if there would ever be someone for her who could love her in a way that transcended the physical and emotional states. She wanted to be spiritually connected to that person too, just like the way Squall and Rinoa were.

She suddenly felt a familiar presence walking up behind her. Usually, she would just say something to Zell, but she wasn't in the mood at the moment, not when the severity of their situation and mission preoccupied her mind over anything else. "You seem to be deep in thought," the voice said.

The words startled her for a bit. She turned around and found Irvine grinning slightly. He fixed his traditional cowboy hat and placed a hand on her shoulder in an effort to relax her. "It's just me. Who did you think I was?"

"N-no one," she said softly, feeling slightly shocked that she had just confused his presence for Zell's.

"You don't look like your normal cheery self. Is something wrong?" Irvine asked with concern evident in his voice.

Selphie nodded. "Yeah, I'm just worried about what's going to happen…you know, time compression and the sorceress. Will Rinoa be okay?"

"I think she will because she will have Squall with her. He loves her very much even though he may not admit it," Irvine stated as he glanced at the knight and the sorceress speaking softly amongst themselves as if there were no one else in the world except for the two of them.

"I'm glad for her then." Her intuition that everything will be okay started to come back to her, and she suddenly didn't feel as depressed as she was before. "Hey Irvine. H-how do you think it feels like to be a knight?"

"H-huh?" The question took him by surprise. "To be a knight? I guess they would have a huge responsibility and burden on them I would think."

"A…b-burden?" Selphie looked confused. "What do you mean?"

"Well, you would have to devote the rest of your life to your sorceress…to serve her and protect her."

"But it would be one's choice to become a knight, right?" Selphie argued. It didn't seem like Irvine shared her romantic view of the knight.

"It could be…" the gunslinger started slowly. "But it could also be out of obligation, wouldn't you say? I mean, surely Cid and Squall are both knights, but I wonder if they made the choice they did out of obligation or love."

"Why would it be out of obligation? Why would Cid and Squall feel obligated to become knights?" Selphie challenged.

"Cid was already married to Edea, and maybe Squall feels partially responsible for what happened to Rinoa. Maybe he feels that he if he had protected her more, she wouldn't have been possessed."

Those were very sound and logical statements and Selphie certainly couldn't argue his two points. Still, she wanted to believe so hard that it was because of love, but maybe it was nothing but her foolish romantic view.

He saw the unconvincing look in her eyes and tried to think of another example to prove his point. "Remember when Seifer wanted to become Edea's knight? It was because of his dream to be a knight. I don't think he loved Edea romantically."

"But it would be so much more romantic if the man became a knight because he loved the sorceress so much. That's what happens in fairytales!" Selphie had a faraway dreamy look, but it was short-lived once Irvine spoke again.

"True…but this isn't a fairytale. This is reality. Things happen differently and the truth is that sometimes it's not always as romantic as you'd picture it to be."

"What about you, Irvine? What would you do if I became a sorceress?" the female SeeD asked suddenly. She felt her heart racing slightly as she became more and more curious about his answer. She already knew what she wanted to hear, but she hoped that they had the same thought when it came to something like this. "Would you be my knight?"

"Depends…"

That wasn't quite what she had expected. She turned around, feeling a bit heart broken and disappointed. Watching Squall and Rinoa was making her feel worse because she had a feeling in the pit of her stomach that Irvine didn't really share the same view with her. Maybe their thoughts weren't as compatible as she thought, or like them to be. "Depends…on what?"

She heard a deep sigh from the gunslinger's end before he started speaking in a rather distraught tone. "I…I don't know, Selphie. Honestly, I don't know. I have no idea what it even means to be a knight…"

"But you know what will happen if a sorceress doesn't have a knight with her…" She closed her eyes as she tried to push away the stinging pain in her heart. She thought she had known Irvine better than that. She thought he would always be there for her, no matter what…because she would do the same for him. Why couldn't it be the other way around?

"I know…and I'm not saying I won't become your knight. You know I do my best to protect you, but I really don't know how this knight thing works…" He got the sense that she was upset by his words. He had been with many women in the past and was very experienced when it came to detecting their emotions, and he knew right now that Selphie was extremely disappointed with his answer. Sighing, he walked behind her and draped his arms over her chest and held her in a comforting embrace. He placed his chin on top of her head and inhaled her natural scent, the sweetness rivaling the aroma of the garden. "But hey, what do you have to worry about? You're never going to become a sorceress. You're just going to remain as you…just the way I like you…" he whispered and planted a tiny kiss on the crown of her head. "I'm gonna head back to the Ragnarok now. It seems like we're all about to go."

"Okay…just give me a moment. I'll meet up with you in the cockpit." She turned around and forced her best bright smile, but she was still hurting inside.

"Okay, don't take too long. I'll see you back in the airship." He gave her another kiss before heading towards the entrance of the flower field.

She watched the tail of his long leather coat billow as he made his way out of the grass and into the cobblestones, heading for the airship. When he was out of sight, she let out a heavy groan and turned back to look at the field that offered her tranquility. The gentle wind was relaxing and soothing as it brushed against her skin, making her feel alive and rejuvenated as if the wind itself was infused with magic. The breeze started to pick up speed and she found herself being showered with petals of all sorts of color, all of them dancing wildly around her, and it made her want to dance with them.

But, she couldn't.

Her arms and legs felt numb when she replayed Irvine's words in her head. It didn't sound like he wanted to be her knight, and she couldn't force him to be one. Selphie knew that it was silly thinking about it since these were all just hypothetical thoughts, but inwardly, she wanted to test his feelings and loyalty to her. If she were to become a sorceress and forced him to be her knight, that would simply defeat the entire purpose of him actually wanting to accept the role because he loved her. But, maybe he was right. Maybe you didn't need to love a sorceress to become her knight, but at the same time, a knight wouldn't be able to sustain a sorceress's darkness without the ingredient of love. You could be the most powerful person in the world and still fail your sorceress without a spiritual and emotional bond with her. Maybe deep down Irvine thought he wasn't capable of ever feeling like that when it came to her.

"If you were to become a sorceress, I'd be your knight."

She jumped, not expecting anyone to be near her at the moment. Spinning around, she found Zell casually leaning against a broken column with his arms folded against his chest. "Sorry, I was coming here to get you but then I accidentally heard what you and Irvine were talking about. I didn't mean to eavesdrop,"

"Oh, you did!?" Selphie blushed furiously knowing that her private moment with Irvine had become public to another person. What made it worse was that Zell had caught her in an embarrassing state since she felt like the man she had intense feelings for had just rejected her. "Er…I didn't notice anyone else here…"

"Sorry," Zell said again, looking truly sincere about his apology. His steel blue eyes didn't have the usual spark and his lips were tugged into a grim line. It was the first time Selphie had ever seen him so…serious.

"What did you say before?" she asked as if she couldn't believe what she had just heard.

"I said…if you were to become a sorceress, I'd be your knight," he repeated again without even a hint of smile. He meant every word and he was more than certain that he would be qualified as the role of a knight.

She looked at him with wide eyes, stunned by his simple one line statement. Was he joking around? Sometimes Zell could be a bit confused, but surely even a goofball like him understood what it meant to be a knight, right? He had learned and witnessed the reality of sorceresses first hand from Cid and Edea's relationship. He couldn't be joking around with something so serious. For Hyne's sake, the future of the entire world was in their hands. He couldn't make a joke out of that, could he? "You're…serious?"

"I am, you don't believe me?" He dropped his hand to his sides and walked over to her with his face still retaining the same serious expression.

There was just something peculiar about the way his eyes remained fixated on her. He had never looked at her that way, and it made her slightly nervous. But, what she was most concerned about at the moment was that something told her Zell was telling the truth and that he had indeed meant every word he said.

"I do…but you do know what it means…right?" she asked timidly, not sure what Zell was trying to say. She looked at his solemn face and felt herself flushing when he stopped just three inches in front of her. His face was so close to hers that she could memorize every trace of the texture and feel his warm breath on her nose. She felt a gentle hand touching her cheek and a thumb stroking her supple flesh. She craned her neck and watched Zell's fingers move carelessly and effortlessly on her cheek. His touch was the softest thing she had ever felt, even softer than the petal she had reached out for earlier. She noticed that his palm and fingers were calloused from fighting, but she never felt the rough edges as she continued to let his hand roam about the side of her face.

"I do know what it means," he whispered lightly, his voice deep and grave. He allowed his hand to trail past her neck and down her shoulder until it connected with her own hand. Picking it up, he intertwined their fingers and squeezed them softly. "We're best friends, Selphie. I'd do anything for you."

Selphie took a brief second to scan around the area. Her eyes were quick and darting, filled with fear and excitement. What would Irvine think if he saw her like this with another man? Luckily, there was no one in sight. Even Squall and Rinoa had left the field, and now it was just the two of them. "Zell?"

He didn't say anything. All he wanted to do was to hold her hand and gaze into her deep emerald depths, the windows to her soul and heart that were claimed by another man. They were claimed by a man she had genuine feelings for and he just couldn't step in the way of that, not when she finally found the happiness she had been looking for. He would just have to accept the fact that he wasn't that man. He would just have to accept that he couldn't be the knight she wanted. Still, he wanted to tell her how he felt about her. Zell's mind was wracking with thoughts, memories, emotions, and he just wanted to let them all out. Most importantly, he wanted her to know his thoughts, memories, and emotions for HER. He had some small crushes here and there, but none of them were ever anything bordering serious. After joining Squall's party and embarking on the journeys that gave him the chance to experience life beyond the battlefield, he had observed and felt what it meant to trust, adore, and even sacrifice yourself for that one person you love. After they had met Rinoa, he was immediately fascinated with how she was able to tame the lone wolf, Squall. He watched their friendship blossom into love from the sidelines as the silent observer who only wished he could experience something like that himself. He had found his 'sorceress' but she wanted another 'knight.'

He closed his eyes and cherished her smooth touch, each stroke becoming imbedded within his memories. He didn't know when he would be able to be with her like this again, alone and carefree as if Time had stopped for them, and the only motions were the petals dancing and their hearts beating. If Time were to be compressed, he wanted to come back to this moment to find her. He wanted her to be here and he wanted to trust that she'd fall into this very moment where he would be waiting.

But, he couldn't predict what would happen in the future. No one could, and so he continued to hope.

He immediately missed her touch when he released her hand. It wasn't meant for him to touch, at least not right now in the present.

"I'd be your knight because I want to, not because I'd feel obligated to."

-Fin

A/N: I wanted to bring out the "knight" in other character besides Squall and Seifer since I think everyone has the ability to become a knight if they had a choice, given if there's a sorceress of course. I guess where I wanted to go with this fic is to express different character's reasons for becoming a knight, whether or not it's because they love their sorceress. Thank you for reading and pleas leave a review! Until next time!


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